Before Drone Hit His Vessel Near Ukraine, UP Sailor Had Called His Mother: 'He Would Check On Everyone'

Published 30 July 2026 · europe

Before Drone Hit His Vessel Near Ukraine, UP Sailor Had Called His Mother: 'He Would Check On Everyone' Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026

Before Drone Hit His Vessel Near Ukraine, UP Sailor Had Called His Mother: 'He Would Check On Everyone' Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 12:55 IST Palau-flagged General Cargo Ship AGN RAGNAR was reportedly attacked by three drones while crossing the Bystre Mouth of the Danube River into the Black Sea Palau-flagged General Cargo Ship AGN RAGNAR was reportedly attacked by three drones while crossing the Bystre Mouth of the Danube River into the Black Sea | Photo credit: AFP In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Ram Chandra Dubey’s family has been clinging to hope as they patiently wait for him. Dubey, 22, has been missing since last week, after the merchant vessel he was on was attacked near Ukraine’s Port of Odesa. On July 25, Saturday, Palau-flagged General Cargo Ship AGN RAGNAR was reportedly attacked by three drones while crossing the Bystre Mouth of the Danube River into the Black Sea.

During the attack, two Indian nationals, including Dubey, reportedly jumped overboard and remain unaccounted for. The remaining seven crew members, including two Indian nationals and the pilot, were rescued by the Ukrainian Coast Guard. The attack came amid heightened tensions in the region in the wake of a prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict. Last Call Home Was To Mother Dubey’s elder sister, Seemakshi Pandey, said he used to call home frequently and that he had made his last call to their mother, Kalpana Dubey, according to the Indian Express. “He would call home frequently to check on everyone. The last time he spoke to our mother, Kalpana Dubey, was on the night of July 24. He told her the ship had departed from Ukraine," she said.

Seemakshi said the company that had employed them called the family the day after the incident, July 26. “The company representative said the vessel had come under a drone attack near the Port of Odessa on July 25 and four Indian crew members jumped into the Black Sea — one of them was my brother," she said. She said that the family got informed that while two of them had been rescued, two others –– including Dubey –– were missing. What MEA Said On Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had been in touch with Ukrainian authorities in the search for the two missing crew members. The Port of Odesa, one of Ukraine’s key Black Sea ports, has seen frequent missile and drone attacks since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.